Sustainability

We want our publishing to have a positive impact on society – not a negative one on the planet.

Print publishing can have a significant environmental impact and we’re taking active steps to minimize this. We’re decarbonizing our business operations, building a sustainable and responsible supply chain, and participating in industry-wide sustainability initiatives.

Reducing Emissions and Waste in our Supply Chain

At Taylor & Francis we prioritise minimizing the environmental impact of our print products. Since 2019, we've transformed our global print business to better match supply with demand and cut print-related emissions by over 35%. Our improvements include:​ ​

• Print on demand expansion:​ More than 80% of the books we print each year are now manufactured to order.​
• Optimized print runs​: We've improved sales forecasting so when we do print and warehouse titles, we better match supply with demand.​
• Printing closer to customers:​ Our global network of printers helps reduce the distance products travel from printer to buyer.​
• Increased self-printing:​ Many of our distributors hold our book files, so they can print titles locally. That means fewer delivery miles and fewer product returns​ .​

How we support enhanced climate action​:

We’re committed to continuing our work to reduce emissions and waste in our print supply chain. Alongside this work, we’re proud to finance high-quality climate projects outside our value chain. For every tonne of carbon our print supply chain emits, we purchase carbon credits that avoid or reduce the same amount of carbon. The projects we choose to support deliver a high degree of co-benefits, such as poverty alleviation, health and educational improvements, and nature conservation. ​

Prioritising Responsible Sourcing

We rely on close relationships with our printers, wholesalers, and distribution partners to manufacture and deliver our books to customers around the globe. All business partners are required to adhere to the high ethical standards outlined in Informa’s Business Partner Code of Conduct. We believe that success is created through trusted partnerships and all suppliers are audited to ensure that we only work with businesses that share our values, are committed to creating a positive impact on the environment, maintain an inclusive and safe workplace, and demonstrate respect for core labour standards and human rights.

Our commitment to responsible sourcing also extends to the materials that we use in our printed products. 100% of the paper we manufacture our books from is certified and responsibly sourced with robust chain of custody schemes. This helps ensure that we contribute to sustainable forest management, helps prevent deforestation, supports the economic well-being of forestry workers, and protects the rights of indigenous peoples.

Advancing Sustainability Across the Industry

We are proud to be active participants and contribute to several initiatives and projects to help advance collective action across the publishing industry.

This includes:

• The Publishers Association Sustainability Taskforce. This group was formed in 2020 to accelerate sustainability actions across the publishing industry
• We are founding signatories of Publishing Declares, the Publishers Association’s Climate Action Pledge.
• SDG Publishers Compact, a United Nations initiative launched in 2020, in collaboration with the International Publishers Association. The Compact aims to accelerate progress to achieve the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
• The Book Chain Project, a collaborative project run by consultancy Carnstone, involving leading publishers, print suppliers, and paper manufacturers. It aims to increase awareness of environmental impacts in publishing and provides tools to help companies make informed buying decisions in print and production.

Find out more:
You can learn more about our wider company approach to sustainability on the Taylor & Francis website.